LFB in a Digital World – Information and Technology Strategy, 2019

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2019 – 2022

LFB in a digital world Information and technology strategy, 2021 – 2023

April 2021 Approved by the London Fire Commissioner, 25 March 2021 (Decision LFC-0499D) 1 LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2019 – 2022

About this publication Originally published in December 2018 Publication date of this updated version: March 2021 This document was produced by London Fire Brigade’s Chief Information Officer.

For information about this publication contact: Julian Martin Chief Information Officer London Fire Brigade 169 Union Street London SE1 0LL T 020 8555 1200 E [email protected]

Copyright and reproduction This publication is the copyright of London Fire Brigade. You may use or reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence.

To view this licence, visit: nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/ open-government-licence/

The London Fire Commissioner and London Fire Brigade

The London Fire Commissioner (LFC) is the fire and rescue authority for London and is head of London Fire Brigade.

For more information about LFC and the work of London Fire Brigade visit: london-fire.gov.uk.

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023 Contents

Foreword 4 Introduction 5 The power of data and information 6 Where are we now? 6 Tipping point 8 Transforming the Brigade 8 Ways of working 9 Collaborative working 10 Collaborating with our partners 10 Investing in our staff 11 Using Cloud-based services 11 Financial challenges 12 Digital for our service users 12 Moving forward 13 Appendix A: How will our staff benefit? 14 The station Watch Manager 15 The Station Manager 16 The Borough Commander 17 The Control Room Watch 18 The Fire Safety Inspecting Officer 19 The Community Safety Officer 20 The People Services Manager (flexible worker) 21 Appendix B: Our top priorities 22

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023 Foreword This strategy sets out our vision for information and technology (I&T) services over the next three years. It makes an honest appraisal of how far we have come, what we do well and what we need to do to provide our staff with the right digital environment to enhance the safety of all Londoners.

Our staff work: • at the fire station • on the incident ground • in the community • in the office or remotely • in the control room. In fact, our work on this strategy revealed the massive potential, particularly in our fire stations, for digital transformation to relieve some of the burden of our paper heavy, analogue approach. We explore some of that potential in the imagined future states – our personas – set out in Appendix A. And this is what makes our approach to I&T special. Being able to provide I&T services across these very different environments, we need to be alive to the potential that constant changes in technology represent. There are three distinct threads running through this strategy: • Emphasis on a resilient and secure infrastructure. • A focus on Cloud technology. This is the second and last annual update of our three-year • A belief that data is intrinsic to our digital Strategy originally agreed at end of 2018; we will transformation. undertake a full refresh of the strategy for 2022. We will continue to talk to our staff, work with our partners in London, other emergency services and the wider fire and We continue to face challenges across our work with data, rescue service to learn and deliver the best service we can. As information and technology – particularly arising from the part of that commitment, we have signed up to the Local COVID-19 pandemic – and we know we need to be brave Digital Declaration, which sets out a common aspiration for enough to face them and make changes to the way we work. the future of local public services. In May 2017 we asked our staff what they thought of I&T I encourage you to read this document and share your services in the Brigade. We discovered that, on the whole, thoughts with us. they thought we did a good job but that we were not innovative, nor did we embrace new technologies. We Julian Martin recognise this and provide some commentary in response. Chief Information Officer As we developed this narrative about our vision for I&T London Fire Brigade services, we kept coming back to the reality that we provide services to staff working in diverse environments. During 2020, that has become more complex as many of our office- based staff have been working from home meaning a more flexible approach to the way we deploy technology solutions. 4

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023 Introduction London Fire Brigade’s purpose is to be trusted to serve and protect London. Our vision is that we will be a dynamic, forward-looking organisation of fully engaged people at the centre of the communities we serve, adapting to the changing needs of London. Our ambitious Transformation Delivery Plan will ensure we deliver on our purpose by responding to the phase 1 outcomes of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, and the findings of the 2019 inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

Like the best public services and companies, the Brigade needs to be lean, agile and data-driven. Multi-agency working will be common practice as part of the emergency services collaboration and it requires an evolution in how we use our I&T services to support its development. As a result, our truly mobile workforce will be able to work in a variety of places. And, 2020 presented us with new challenges as we moved to support our office-based staff who had to work from home, and with face-to-face interactions with crews at fire stations more limited than previously.

Not only does the Brigade need to manage risks to communities, it also needs to manage risks in the way it manages its I&T. As we seek to deliver the Brigade’s purpose and vision, we find that three themes run throughout our strategy. One of the themes is about striking the right balance between the need for security and resilience with the desire to innovate and introduce new ways of working. Security and resilience should not necessarily be viewed as opposing forces but more as components of a well-designed solution.

Our other two themes are a concerted move to a Cloud based approach to our I&T provision and a firm commitment to using our data in an open and transparent way to improve our services.

With our commitment in 2019 to the Local Digital Declaration, we see a growing commitment throughout the public sector for transforming services using digital tools and technology. We share the ambitions of the Declaration, particularly as we continue to collaborate with many partners across London and beyond.

All of this provides a starting point for our strategy. Here we set our plans to enhance and improve what we do, acknowledging the challenges we face along the way.

5 LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023

THE POWER OF DATA AND INFORMATION WHERE ARE WE NOW Data and information are the lifeblood of our organisation; they We are really good at providing a robust, reliable I&T service are both vital to improving fire response, prevention and and using the data and information we hold to support protection services to all Londoners. Everything the Brigade London Fire Brigade in its work. does depends on the effective use of data and information; We need to build on our solid technology foundations. either at the point of service delivery, or to check and monitor We have deployed mobile data terminals and Windows tablets how well we are delivering our services. on fire engines, rolled-out mobile working for our fire safety The Brigade’s need and uses for data and information drives staff and have a very good system for staff to access our I&T the technology choices and direction of travel for I&T when away from the office. We want to make sure these services. This includes: solutions stay modern and relevant. • The systems and tools we use to create, collect or What we don’t do so well is to develop the elements of I&T process information and data. around the edges. By this we mean the technology services • The infrastructure that supports those systems. that make a difference to the staff such as the social • The devices that our staff use to access or input data and applications, enhanced Wi-Fi beyond our core service, and information. deployment of apps that bring I&T at work in line with what our staff experience using personal IT and phones. These have traditionally taken a back-seat to the delivery of technology and systems for mobilising and core business services.

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One way in which we have improved how we work is in delivering our Business Intelligence Solution project. The project is making a step change improvement in how staff access and use data.

We have lots of data, it is good quality and reliable. We and Innovation (LOTI) to overhaul data sharing among London recognised a long time ago that as the quantity of data and partners, which will have wide-ranging benefits for the way information increases, we would need more sophisticated data is used to help make London a safer city. ways of making data useable and accessible. And, with the GLA and group bodies, we have signed up to One Business Intelligence Solution project is making a step- voluntarily comply with the UK Statistics Authority code of change improvement in how data is accessed and presented, practice for statistics, which will introduce new standards for providing staff with easier availability of data and data the way we publish some of our data. The remain committed visualisations which provide new insights. We launched our to being an open and transparent organisation in terms of the LFB Data portal in 2019 creating an online one-stop shop data and information we make available to our stakeholders accessible to all staff for all reported data. Using tools like and Londoners. Microsoft Power BI, data is more easily accessible and useable We are keen to participate in data projects with others, and than ever before. are working with other GLA group bodies to see what areas of Since 2018, data protection law is driving different ways of collaboration exist in respect of data, and performance managing and sharing personal data, and we are delivering monitoring. We have regular contacts with the GLA the core concept of ‘privacy by design’ in how we collect and Intelligence team, and with the London Office of Technology use personal data. An internal audit review in 2019 gave the and Innovation (LOTI) to explore new and creative ways to Brigade ‘adequate assurance’ about its data protection use data across different organisations to provide new arrangements. We are already working closely with the GLA insights and understandings, and drive improvement in and the London Office of Technology service and outcomes for citizens.

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TIPPING POINT We are now at a tipping point. In general, our technology infrastructure is solid. It is time to make everything mobile so that staff can work wherever they want or need to be. Where the nature of the role permits it, we want our staff to be truly agile in their approach to work. We need the right attitude in our approach to developing our I&T to help make this happen. And we need the right technology for staff to use whether at working at home, remotely or in the office. We are also looking at ways staff can use their own devices for work (‘Bring Your Own Device’) to provide complete flexibility. Realising our ambition rests on our appetite for risk and, of course, sufficient resources to realise change. We need to weigh up our need for resilience and security with the desire to support staff to work flexibly. Agility, resilience and security should not always be viewed as mutually exclusive, and this is important when determining the appropriate tools that staff will need to support flexible working and to ensure that the Brigade remains protected against cyber-attacks, data loss, etc. In addition, we cannot of course, forget the various legal data protection and regulatory requirements. Our challenge now is to look ahead at our existing technology arrangements and determine whether they remain valid for the future, and the different ways in which our people need to work. We plan to stay a Microsoft organisation (because of our existing investment) so we need to exploit all the opportunities that Microsoft software offer. The introduction of TRANSFORMING THE BRIGADE our Android mobile phone The Brigade’s response to the phase 1 recommendations working environment provides from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, and the outcomes of the 2019 inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Police the opportunity to improve our and Fire and Rescue Services (HMIPFRS) will require messaging service and to the significant organisational transformation over the new few years. New or updated information and technology removal of pagers that are still solutions will underpin many of the changes and new ways being used by operational staff. of working set out in the Transformation Delivery Plan. To help deliver the Brigade’s vision, the Transformation Delivery Plan ia built around four pillars: 8 LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023

• The best people and the best place to work this Corporately Owned Personally Enabled (COPE) • Seizing the future environment provides the best of both worlds and will • Delivering excellence significantly enhance mobile working for our staff. • Outward facing The introduction of Android mobile phones also provides We have assessed all the initiatives in the Plan and about the opportunity to improve our messaging service and may two-thiurds will need support from ICT Department to lead to the removal of pagers that are still being used by deliver them. Some of those impact will be small, but operational staff. others will be significant. For example, the new premises We also think there may be potential to enhance mobile risk information solution (LFB OneRisk)which will bring capability on the fireground, possibly leveraging capability together and provide a single repository for all aspects of delivered as part of the Emergency Services Mobile building related risk, not just fire safety, but operational Communications Programme ESMCP, which includes risks, and what we know about London’s built environment. WAYS OF WORKING We need to look at how our office-based staff work, particularly in the light of the challenges we are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We invested heavily in a zero (thin) client environment using the Citrix product and this has significantly reduced the cost of ownership, increasing security and simplifying management of our IT infrastructure. However, the use of Microsoft 365, and other cloud-based solutions, provides new opportunities to access email, data and documents from any device outside of our thin-client environment. The pandemic has prompted us to change our current approach to desktop computing for our staff who normally work in offices. We will give laptops/tablets to all these staff (that don’t already have them) so they can work fleixlbly at home or in the office using the device; these will also support better mobile working. We cannot change our thin client approach overnight, but we will review our applications strategy during 2021, including how users access applications, to inform the refresh of this strategy in 2022. Mobile working does not only rely on tablets, but also on mobile phones. Our Android mobile phones with software that creates a safe and secure work area where our staff can access Brigade applications, separate from any apps that they install on the phone for personal use. We think creating 9 LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023

We have had very positive feedback from the use of Microsoft Teams, which is also supporting news ways for senior and departmental management to communicate Getting security right is directly with their staff. critical to the successful move to Although the use of MIcrosoft Teams has been largely to support virtual meetings, we have started to use it to mobile ways of working. enhance collaboration outside of traditional physical team boundaries and to create a history of work that would previously have been buried in individual email accounts. delivery of the Emergency Services Network (by 2025) and We also launched Yammer at the start of 2021; Microsoft’s would be looking to explore the practicalities of this approach. Yammer social networking tool which is being used to openly connect and engage staff across the Brigade. Getting security right is critical to the successful move to mobile ways of working. We have adopted a strong multi- We are excited about the potential of Microsoft Teams and layered authentication for our tablets/laptops that requires Yammer for the Brigade and will be investing considerable not only an ID and password, but an extra code delivered via effort to make sure departments use of it to improve ways a mobile phone. of working. Although we have been able to reduce the volume of paper But, we don’t want to overwhelm our staff with too much and printing significantly over the last 10 years through new choice or too many places to have to manage to do their ways of working, there is clearly more we can do about this. jobs. Collaboration tools should be simple and easy; if Remote working during the pandemic has underlined how it they are not intuitive and become a burden, then we is possible to work digitally (e.g. in meetings) without should rethink the way we work. It is important that staff printing documents. know how to use the different communication channels During the life of this strategy we intend to deliver further we provide for them. reductions in our use of paper and printing, by enabling COLLABORATING WITH OUR PARTNERS paperless meetings, the better sharing of information electronically, and reducing paper form-filling. We will also look to the other members of the Greater London Authority (GLA) group to see what they are To make a success of new ways of working, we need to make sure our I&T is an enabler to assist in the changes we doing to support collaborative working. Increasingly, we want to make and to allow our staff to guide us along the are looking to GLA group bodies when considering way. To help facilitate this, we will be seeking to establish a replacements for the non-FRS specific line of business user group to ensure feedback from staff is considered by systems. We have started work to replace our finance, the appropriate people in the ICT department. HR and payroll systems, and will seriously consider where we can work with others to deliver updated COLLABORATIVE WORKING solutions that meet the Brigade’s needs, and where We know that our staff like to collaborate when they work. replacement timescales match. They collaborate with teams in their own departments, We already meet regularly with the GLA group bodies to across departments and with other organisations. The use discuss technology matters of common interest, and we of Microsoft Teams during the last year has supported new are also participating in the wider discussion forums like ways fo working and virtual meetings, during the pandemic. 10 LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023

the London Peer Group which brings together local INVESTING IN OUR STAFF authority staff in London interested or involved in The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting new challenges creating and delivering digital services. This initiative is and opportunities to use technology to support different being supported by the Mayor’s Chief Digital Officer for ways of working. As outlined earlier, our new approach London, and the London Office for Technology and provides staff with a tablet/laptops, screens and docking Innovation (LOTI). devices for use at home; they can also bring their tablet We have a good working relationship with the to work, plug-in and get access to systems and data Metropolitan Police Service and the London Ambulance easily. Service. Senior staff from our respective I&T We should embrace staff who are natural early adopters departments meet regularly to discuss strategy and to test technologies with us and encourage staff to learn ongoing work, looking for opportunities to learn and join from others by building networks of people with shared up where it provides real benefits. This relationship is interests. Similarly, we should identify and support staff particularly helpful when it comes to national I&T who wish to use technology and systems in new ways. initiatives that affect us all, such as the replacement of the Our roll-out of Microsoft 365, as part of our Modern Airwave communications system with the Emergency Workplace Programme, provides familiar and new tools Services Network (ESN). We continue to follow the ESN to drive different and smarter ways of working. roll-out programme with great interest. We also want all our staff to enjoy the benefits that new One example of how a joined-up approach can benefit technologies can bring. Microsoft 365 has a range of us is in data analysis. We have a team of data analysts in accessibility features to meet the needs of users, the Brigade who already benefit from working including those with disabilities. collaboratively with other data analysts drawn from the GLA family and beyond. By working in this way, we can All of these examples help our staff do their jobs better be sure to make the most of the huge amounts of and help the Brigade to be innovative and creative as we Brigade data that we hold. Given the duty to collaborate move from our I&T being reactive to a place where it is that came into force last year, we are keen to see predicting what our staff might need in the future. collaboration take place in the I&T arena as well as the A lot of I&T staff time is spent doing work that no one front-line of service delivery. sees but everyone would notice if it wasn’t done. For The Local Digital Declaration can be particularly helpful example, activities like applying anti-virus updates and to us in this area of our work. In it, there are sound patches or upgrades to software. This is extremely principles of sharing plans and experience as well as a important work but not necessarily fulfilling. commitment to ”working collaboratively with other We want to find a different way to get these important organisations and reusing good practice”. We support tasks done and free up our staff to do more interesting this approach wholeheartedly. work. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has developed a Our goal is to develop our staff to work on the projects Digital and Data Programme that is looking at the way fire that deliver on the ambitions set out here. Projects will and rescue services can work collaboratively in pursuit of move along quicker if the experts are available to assist. digital transformation. We contributed to the initial scoping This has the advantage of boosting our own staff, of the programme and will continue to be closely involved. improving retention and recruitment along the way. It’s a 11 LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023

win-win situation. Cloud is how the technology infrastructure is managed. Another area for improvement is in how we identify new Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a well-known concept information and technology trends that enhance the in the technology industry. Our aim for IaaS is to have working environment for our staff. Horizon scanning our own space in the Cloud hosting our infrastructure should be built into what we do in our everyday work. with the day-to-day repetitive tasks such as software patching and anti-virus updates carried out by our USING CLOUD BASED SERVICES managed service provider instead of our own staff Currently we manage a hybrid environment where some (released to do more interesting work as described of our technology and infrastructure are on-site (using above). Discussions are on-going with suppliers about Brigade buildings) and some are hosted in the Cloud. finding a business model that will make this Cloud transition a viable model. Whilst costs have reduced in We need to get the balance right between what we do in recent years and suppliers continue to offer discounts for the Cloud (in terms of storing and processing data) and this transition, costs remain high. A reduction in capital what we do on-site, to maintain security and resilience. funding and associated debt costs (as a result of not Our approach is to consider cloud solutions as we refresh having to buy server hardware) is a positive outcome or replace systems. Within the life of this strategy we from any transition to IaaS. This cost reduction, together expect our staff to be using Microsoft 365 cloud-based with costs currently incurred to support on-premise solutions between 70 to 80 per cent of the time. infrastructure will be key inputs as we look to develop a One challenge is to work out the optimum level of full business case in respect to IaaS, as part of the next network links between physical sites to the Cloud, with digital strategy and updated applications strategy from guaranteed and dedicated access. Once again, the 2022. consideration centres on our attitude and appetite for We also need to be sure our back-up strategy and our risk and how far we want to go with changing the way testing services would work well in a Cloud environment. we work to ensure we deliver our service but retain All of our testing work could be moved to the Cloud. security and resilience. Currently the testing facilities are idle much of the time Another part of our thinking about the greater use of the and a wasteful of resources. We want to understand the full potential of the Cloud to help us deliver our I&T services better. We have employed a specialist consultancy to do this. It’s complex We will be brave and and time-consuming but important work. shake up the way we’ve always FINANCIAL CHALLENGES worked, be a bit disruptive and Budget is of course critical for delivering our I&T ambitions and this is a perennial challenge for any make the Brigade better for it. organisation. Our budget for technology is split into capital (to buy things) and revenue (to do things with). Adopting IaaS would have an impact on our budget, which is heavily 12 LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023

weighted to capital and requires a shift to a revenue- considering the special needs of different users, like dominated budget. older people and those with disabilities. We are also Given that this revenue budget would be buying critical maximising the opportunities available to us to deliver a services, it would have to be ring-fenced. The wide range of information about the Brigade in an organisation is significantly dependent on technology to accessible way, and to develop this to provide better deliver almost every aspect of its services to London. We insights for the public about what the Brigade does using have been fortunate that we have had continued new data presentation tools. investment, not only to maintain our current MOVING FORWARD infrastructure, but to grow and change our offerings to Given all that we set out here, it is clear that we have to reflect the business needs and drivers of the think differently when it comes to delivering I&T to organisation. support the vision of the Brigade. I&T has a cost regardless of how it is delivered and its We want to support ways of working that make the best critical infrastructure without which the Brigade could use of Cloud and put data at the heart of what we do, not function. The challenge is to be able to make the without compromising security and resilience. We can move away from capital to revenue, while the Brigade balance the risk to deliver on our strategy. overall faces continuing pressures in its revenue budget and the need to find savings in future years. We will be brave and shake up the way we’ve always worked, be a bit disruptive and make the Brigade better DIGITAL FOR OUR SERVICE USERS for it. We will use external I&T consultants, to health Many of the services we deliver to Londoners are check what we are doing and help address some issues different to those of a typical local council. While we before we can move ahead on all fronts. deliver our services to people at home, at work and We have an I&T work plan containing over 150 discrete elsewhere, many of these services, by their nature, have pieces of work or projects that will enable us to deliver to be delivered face-to-face and onsite. the ambition set out in this strategy. Appendix B gives a But we are committed to delivering as many of our flavour of some of the change initiatives we need to services digitally by equipping our staff with the digital deliver to keep our I&T infrastructure and services tools they need to support their face-to-face interactions. modern and up-to-date, supporting business changes We recognise the importance of considering how across the organisation. This doesn’t include the huge different groups will access our services, including our amount of vitally important ‘business as usual’ activity own staff, and will take into account the differing needs that goes on to support the infrastructure and systems, as of users who are potentially likely to be impacted when well as dealing with user issues and queries. we implement I&T solutions. The Brigade’s ambitious transformation agenda, means We launched our current website in April 2018 – which that many departments will be looking to ICT meets current accessibility standards – and this provides Department for new solutions, and changes to existing a good platform to develop digital services where they systems. We need mechanisms to help identify up and are appropriate for what we do. During the life of the coming projects from the TDP where ICT will be an strategy, and beyond, we will look at new ways to deliver enabler for achievement of actions. The lack of a clearly services in a digitally enabled way, whilst always defined corporate framework for notifying I&T of up- 13 LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023

coming projects impacts upon our ability to appropriately help monitor progress with the three-year workplan. prioritise within the work plan which could impact upon The TOB will comprise departmental representatives the achievement of individual projects, the ICT strategy and will be able to take a view of relative priorities, and and corporate objectives. had its first meeting in March 2021. The TOB will help us During 2021 we will introduce a new work request monitor activity in our I&T work plan which will will process to collect information from business owners of enhance and develop our I&T to support Brigade staff. the work they want ICT to do, and the timescales, as Regardless of whether someone is at the fire station, on well as capturing the impacts of this work for ICT teams. the incident ground, in the community, in the office, Also, to collect information that will help with wider working remotely or in the control room, they should decisions or relative priorities. have the very best I&T we can offer, keeping Londoners We have also established a Technology Oversight Board safe along the way. (TOB) as a forum to discuss new work requests and to

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2019 – 2022LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023

Appendix A: How will our staff benefit?

In this section, we outline the way in which the lives of our staff will be affected, for the better, with the introduction of the technologies and use of data outlined in the strategy.

‘Personas’ have been created to illustrate the impact of I&T being delivered by the Brigade.

These ‘personas’ are simply to illustrate how the different jobs people do could be changed by

the better use of technology and use of information. Some of the ideas are ‘off the wall’ at this stage, and these examples provided do not always represent a confirmed plan.

Two symbols are used in this appendix to show:

things planned and will be delivered during the life of the strategy.

things which, at this stage, are more ‘imaginative’ and may take longer to deliver,

or might eventually be in a different form.

14 15

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023 The station Watch Manager

Asif is a well-established Watch Manager at a two-pump fire station. The members of his watch vary hugely in how much interest they have in I&T and often the tasks that require the use of the computers on the fire station fall to the Crew Manager as she is the most confident at using it.

AT THE FIRE STATION IN THE COMMUNITY

The 4G enabled tablet will host 3D images of All firefighters will be able to use the 4G enabled buildings on the station ground. Preparing for tablet that is kept on the appliance to complete the operational risk visits will be much easier and recording indemnity form and to record the outcomes of Home the data – including the premises risk assessment – Fire Safety Visits. This means that the data is sent directly onto the tablet in the new LFB OneRisk immediately to the central LFB OneRisk solution with solution which means that the operational risk data is firefighters no longer having to sit down at a station dynamically updated, seen beside what else we know computer to record the visit based on paper notes. about a building (e.g. from a fire safety visit) and available for all to see. Firefighters now login to the uniform supplier website to ON THE INCIDENT GROUND see a dynamic 3D model of their fire kit allowance. It tells them when it was bought, when it was cleaned 4G enabled tablet is now a critical part of the appliance. and its lifespan for replacement. They can click on the It is used to updated the mobile rollcall board, order image of what they want to clean or re-order and it Breathing Apparatus cylinders to replace those used instantly creates an order. during an incident. Online training will be easier to find using the training The Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) on the fire engine will portal, and it will be linked to new updated continue to provide access to important data like operational guidance/policies so that you get a Chemdata, car manufacturing specifications and ePiPs – to complete view of everything you need to know about get an instant visual on the buildings in the area of the dealing with a particular incident type or piece of incident. The tablet, which also accesses the same equipment. datasets as the MDT, is used by firefighters in the rear of All members of the watch will be able to look at the the appliance and can be consulted on the incident ground LFB Data portal to access the management and as well. performance data they need to help them do their jobs. The driver of the appliance will use a specially configured Being able to access data when needed will support a TomTom satnav for all navigation, it will automatically new approach to performance management. get the location of the incident sent from the There is no more paper on the fire station. All the mobilising system. folders of signed forms have gone. Everything is now When crews return to the fire station, the appliance is digitised and accessible via apps on the desktop or tablet scanned on entry and all the equipment logged. devices via the Cloud. The audit trail of routines on the Anything missing will immediately be notified to the watch station is all digital and all the checks and balances are manager who will then agree for items to be replaced in place to know when actions need to be taken for all using the Brigade’s procurement system. No re-keying of routines. data as all the systems talk to one another.

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023 The Station Manager Emma is a Station Manager. She is newly promoted and keen to make her mark. She is a big fan of technology but finds the Brigade’s systems slow and uninspiring. She wants to get real-time access to data about how her station is doing in all areas of its work so that she can respond quickly to change and improve performance. She wants to bring her staff with her and get all the watches up to speed on data analysis so that they too can understand the power of data to improve what they do. She also wants to streamline the way admin work is done, to relieve the bureaucratic burden on her watch staff.

AT THE FIRE STATION IN THE COMMUNITY

Emma will get easy access to performance data through • With her Brigade issued Android phone¿ or using the LFB Data portaland some user-friendly dashboards her own phone under our Bring Your Own Device and reports based on her specification created by the policy, Emma will gain access to Brigade systems Brigade’s expert users of MS Power BI¿. wherever she is. She will be able to work safely and Using MS Teams (part of Microsoft 365)¿ with her securely using the new functions on her phone and use watches, Emma can blend the need to share information on a the device for her own personal use too. The phone formal level with some fun, team building along the way. will act as a pager ; no need to carry three devices Emma can set up Teams to suit her, and that includes around. adding in different media, like GIFs, may seem like a Yammer is a great way for Emma to build community distraction but have the benefit of adding humour while outside of her station. She is ambitious, so she wants to people work. know what’s happening in the wider Brigade. By joining Using Brigade apps on her desktop computer (via groups on Yammer and accessing them on her Android Citrix) or via her phone (Android apps), Emma will be able phone or tablet, Emma can keep up-to-date on topics that to do many of the regular tasks more easily and simply. interest her and contribute to debate while doing her day • Emma can stay in touch with top managers using MS job. Teams live eventsas a new way of communicating, and is able to ask senior managers, right up to the Commissioner, questions and receive updates.

ON THE INCIDENT GROUND

Emma’s Android mobile phone will give her access to all the information she needs about incidents via the BOSS Mobile app. She will be able to update her status easily using the app on her phone via BOSS mobile, so no need to keep phoning Control. Emma’s car will have a SatNav just like the appliance which will automatically route her to incidents she has been mobilised to. This will save time and allow Control to effectively gauge her ETA to incidents. Emma will be able to call on the Brigade’s drones to be mobilised to incidents to provide a birds-eye view of the incident ground. It is a powerful tool for her decision-making toolkit. These images will be available across the devices at the scene, from MDTs, tablets and phones, as well as being available to Control and remote monitoring senior officers and the press office via Stream in Microsoft 365.

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023 The Borough Commander Kemi is a Borough Commander (GM) with five years’ experience at this level. She is a reluctant user of I&T and feels that the systems are not reliable enough, often falling to manual workarounds where she can. She is willing to learn and try out new solutions if they mean more mundane tasks are automated and free up her and her staff’s time for other things.

AT THE FIRE STATION ON THE INCIDENT GROUND

Kemi will benefit from the same tools available to Emma, During an incident, the body worn camera worn and will be able to set up MS Teams to collaborate by firefighters is recording the activity and the video is more effectively with her partners from organisations dynamically available to Kemi and Brigade Control so that across her borough, including the local council, the other they can see the incident simultaneously, this will make emergency services and the charities she works with on a remote monitoring incidents far more effective. day-to-day basis. A streaming video app (999Eye) on a mobile phone will allow Kemi to stream images of an incident IN THE COMMUNITY in progress to help Control understand the incident better, and those in command of an incident, to make Kemi’s 4G enabled tablet allows her to work more more informed decisions. Brigade officers will have this flexibly and will have a range of Brigade apps that will as standard on their phone, but members of the public help her do her work more efficiently. The tablet will allow will be able to access from a link provider by a control her to hold meeting papers electronically, and to mark operator. We are now investigating the use of this them up with notes in advance of the meeting or whilst app for FireSafety Inspecting Officers, to remotely at the meeting. The tablet will allow her to access the follow up on work at remote sites. Brigade’s LFB Data portal which provides access to A transcript of the audio from the incident that was a wide range of performance information dashboards and recorded on the body worn camera is scanned by the reports, including those created using Power BI, that Brigade’s artificial intelligence system to work will help her work and engage with partners in the out the decision making at that incident based on local council. previous incidents. It is recorded and reviewed by officers for training purposes.

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023 The Control Room Watch Martin is quite a new Operations Manager in London Fire Brigade, having worked previously in another control room and joined the Brigade on promotion last year. He is responsible for one of the six watches that manage the control room. He loves technology – the control room is a heavy user of I&T in the Brigade, so it’s the perfect place for him. He is always looking for ways to improve the way that the control room can make best use of the innovations going on in this area of I&T.

IN THE CONTROL ROOM trapped in the bedroom, enabling them to provide the caller with advice to help keep The feed from the Brigade’s drone is now an them safe. established way of viewing incidents. The dynamic Where needed, the control room staff can also tap into feed appears on the screen as soon as it is available and the live feed from the appliances at the scene. provides extra information about the incident. The appliances are fixed, so it gives another view on Emergency calls for assistance from other blue light the incident. services as well as other fire control rooms now appear With access to TfL CCTV cameras nearby, the automatically on the screen for Martin and his team control room is the place where the Brigade has a to access and respond. They no longer need to wait or fantastic 360o real time view of an incident and can share information over the phone and re-key data. It’s all helpfully field queries from Brigade officers, the Press done instantly. Office and others. The public doesn’t just call in with information about Callers now use alternative, app-based ways of describing incidents now, but actually provide video footage (e.g. what3words) where they are and the control room directly from their smart phone using can translate any app into geospatial data to 999Eye at the scene. Martin and his staff can see supplement the GPS data from the 999 caller’s mobile live video footage of the incident before the crews phone signal. arrive providing valuable situational awareness. Social media is so ingrained that information about In a separate stream, the control room staff are incidents sometimes appears online before a 999 call is monitoring live feed from the firefighters’ body worn made to control. Knowing this, the Brigade is now using cameras. Again, it provides situational awareness predictive analytics. It worked with leading artificial on the ground, but later in the incident it shows the intelligence agencies to develop machine learning that has BA crews’ position as they move through a property been trained to look for fire-related incident chatter on towards a caller who is trapped in a bedroom. The social media channels. Martin’s staff now monitor this in a body worn cameras feed this information to the pop-up screen on their monitors, reviewing alerts as a control operator who is on the phone to the caller business as usual activity.

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023 The Fire Safety Inspecting Officer Greg has been a Senior Fire Inspecting Officer for 10 years. He has a great knowledge of fire safety laws and has audited/inspected hundreds of buildings over the years. He is responsible for a team of inspectors and while he needs to spend a lot of time at his computer, he also wants to be out with his teams and on site so that he remains close to the front-line of this important area of the Brigade’s work. He already makes good use of his dedicated fire safety tablet with its mobile working app.

IN THE OFFICE IN THE COMMUNITY

MS Teams will be the mainstay of Greg’s work. His This team is the most agile of all the Brigade’s teams and distributed team will use it as the primary means by which because they work in such a flexible way, the Brigade has they communicate with him and each other. His team no reduced the number of desks that it needs to dedicate to longer use email internally and Greg will see the inspection teams in Union Street. benefit of being able to look back on conversation threads Inspecting Officers have had 4G connected tablets for across all sorts of topics with different members of the some time allowing them to record the outcomes of team. inspections dynamically while on site. The next generation Greg and his team rely entirely on their tablets and software solution will also integrate smoothly with other have stopped using a desktop computer altogether. Brigade premises-based risk systems and the new LFB Even when they are in the office, Greg and his team OneRisk solution, particularly those used by operational simply plug in the Ethernet cable available from any desk colleagues for recording risks and creating tactical plans for and connect to Brigade systems or use the super reliable use at future incidents. Insights on the types of challenges that wi-fi instead. crews will face will also be used by Brigade training management to steer the training plans of local crews to prepare them for the types of situations that they will come up against. A streaming video app like 999Eye, which any ‘responsible person’ in charge of a building can download from the Brigade’s website, will allow Greg to undertake a virtual re-inspection of premises from his tablet, to check that things he has asked to be addressed, have been done. The responsible person will be guided by Greg to show him things in the premises using the mobile phone. Greg can save a copy of the re- inspection video as part of the premises file on the fire safety system so he has a record of the inspection and an audit trail.

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023 The Community Safety Officer Marcus works in community safety. He is fairly new to the Brigade and is used to a great I&T set up from his previous job. He is really comfortable with I&T and keen to use Brigade and other data to provide the evidence base to develop community safety work.

IN THE OFFICE IN THE COMMUNITY

• Marcus will get access to training on how to use • Sometimes a tablet is too bulky and on his new Power BI reports to help the team develop their Android phone, he can access his emails and files in policy interventions. He can find tutorials on Hotwire or SharePoint wherever he is working. Cloud storage spend some time with the Business Intelligence team, means he doesn’t have to use the thin client (Citrix). or other ‘super’ users in the Brigade, to get an insight into its potential. He won’t create the reports, but he • Using both MS Teams and LFB Yammer, Marcus will become an intelligent consumer of them. can develop online communities to help him understand what others are doing, share information and learn what • Spending time with colleagues who aren’t based in works elsewhere. Union Street is really important for Marcus to get to know the Brigade. He will be able to seamlessly • There is so much interest in new technology because of the transfer his working from his desk in Union Brigade’s innovations, that the ICT department host Street to his tablet device, working on the way, at home monthly ‘unconferences’ where staff generate an and in other locations. agenda of things they want to talk about, whether that’s • It’s clear that Marcus is a real fan of I&T and his manager innovations from other sectors, personal experience or has already put Marcus forward to join the new ‘early some ideas about how to make I&T better. There’s a real adopters’ I&T group that will help the Brigade buzz about digital in the Brigade now. continue to innovate its I&T offering in the years to come.

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023 The People Services Manager (flexible worker) Erika works in the People Services team and is predominantly based at Brigade HQ at Union Street. However, as part of flexible working arrangements, Erika now only comes to the office for two days some weeks, three days on others. The rest of the time Erika works from home. To accommodate this new working pattern, Erika has been issued a new light-weight tablet, which she preferred over a traditional laptop. With her long commute to work, the tablet allows her to make the most use of the travel time, utilising both Wi-Fi and 4G connectivity. Erika feels supported by the Brigade with the right ICT set up that works at home. Moving from home to work environment is really easy with new docking stations for her tablet that work well in both sites, and elsewhere.

IN THE OFFICE IN THE COMMUNITY

• As her tablet is relatively small, it does not lend itself to • Erika has access to LFB Yammer which connects staff being used for long periods, either at home or in the and information across the Brigade. As part of Microsoft office. To overcome this, Erika is able to connect her 365, she uses Yammer to engage with experts around the device to a ‘docking station’ (both in the office and Brigade and share knowledge. at home) that allows her to use a full-size keyboard and • Weekly meeting with her work colleagues using Microsoft mouse, a larger screen and a headset for use with video Teams allow for catch up with others' work and chance and other calls. to share what's happening at home. • Although Erika is eligible for a Brigade Android mobile • Regular themed sessions within the department happen as phone, she prefers to use her own iPhone, so she is able a Microsoft Teams live event using so that Erika can to take advantage of the Brigade’s Bring Your Own continue to learn about wider work of colleagues, her Device (BYOD) policy. The Brigade’s Mobile corporate Brigade news and keep up to date Device Management (MDM) solution manages an area on her phone that she can use to access Microsoft • Brigade leadership provide video updates using Stream 365, allowing her to send / receive mail and access MS (part of Microsoft 365), have launched a regular podcast Office applications including Microsoft Teams. which combines formal and informal approach to great acclaim • Enjoys the flexibility of being able to work from home, allowing for an improved work life balance with • Regular reminders to check working environment at both caring responsibilities at home sites with simple display screen equipment (DSE) tests available on brigade app. • Using Microsoft Teams to stay in touch, with the chat function great for informal communication and video for meetings. • It’s really easy to work with email and draft documents using Microsoft 365, without the need to log-on to an LFB remote access session. • Access to LFB systems work well with all available online (via remote access) and quick access to personal and Brigade-wide files. • The Brigade’s data is kept safe using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which sends Erika a code via her mobile phone to help her logon securely. • Erika has the Microsoft Teams app on her tablet, and Teams is integrated with the Brigade’s telephony system and so Erika can make / receive calls using to her LFB extension on her tablet, whether in a Brigade building or elsewhere.

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2019 – 2022

Appendix B: Our top priorities now

A separate detailed three-year I&T work plan supports this strategy and comprises the

actions, tasks and projects that will make this strategy become a reality; this plan is updated quarterly. The work plan will be a living document, reflecting the changing

demands placed on the Brigade’s I&T services over time, as projects and tasks are completed and new ones are introduced.

In this appendix we highlight some of the top priorities for the next three years, as we see them now, and showing things we completed (shaded) and new initiatives

added during the first year of the strategy. This is necessarily just the highlights of what we need to do, and the detailed three-year plan is the place to look to find more

detail.

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2019 – 2022

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2020 – 2023

OPERATIONAL/FRONTLINE SUPPORT/BACK-OFFICE • Complete work to allow transfer of mobilising data • Roll-out Android mobile phones to replace Windows between blue-light partners (MAIT). phones. [COMPLETED July 2019] • Support the community use of our fire stations. [ON • Complete LFB website security assurance. HOLD] • Implement a cyber defence system. [COMPLETED • Complete updates to the system that manages our September 2019] Home Fire Safety Visits.[COMPLETED] • Launch the LFB Data portal – a new data platform, as • Complete the roll-out, for appliances, of new Mobile part of our Business Intelligence Solution (BIS) Data Terminals (MDT), with SatNavs and tablets. [COMPLETED September 2019]. • Replace operational officer pagers with a pager ‘app’ for • Roll-out the new ‘thin client’ desktop with Windows Android phones. 10 ‘look and feel’ with Microsoft 365 for office-based, • Support the move for operational staff from ‘Role to by end March 2021, and at fire stations (including Rank’ (R2R) by changes to systems / policies. SharePoint Online), by end August 2021. [COMPLETED – November 2019] • Complete work to improve personal information • Implementation of FRS national operational guidance retention to be more GDPR compliant, in response (N.O.G.) within the Brigade, including a new system to to the 2019 internal audit review. [COMPLETED] manage and access for operational (and other) policies. • Relocate our secondary data centre to Brigade • Deliver new incident ground radios for our firefighters premises. [COMPLETED – September 2019] as part of Replacement Protective Equipment project. • Improve our management of images and video (e.g. • Deliver (subject to national project) the Emergency from drones, body worn cameras), including better Services Network (ESN) to replace Airwave radio (in GDPR compliance. [COMPLETED] 2025. • Support the delivery of a new performance • Replace our fire safety system with an overall premises administration management (planning) system risk management system (LFB OneRisk Solution), (InPhase solution). including LFB Operational Risk Database including the • Complete LFB inputs to the GLA/LOTI Information Premises Risk Assessment. Sharing project to provide a better way to share • Replace our 999 mobilising system (by 2024). data between partners in London. [COMPLETED] • Introduce 999 Eye smartphone solution to allow 999 • Work toward ‘Cyber Essentials’ security accreditation. callers to securely send live footage or images of • Replace our finance/purchasing system(s) and human incidents to emergency service control rooms. resources/payroll system(s) (by 2022). [COMPLETED] • Reconfigure and upgrade wide and metropolitan area • NEW Deploy a ‘fire survival guidance’ solution to networks (WAN/MAN) and internet services. ensure that information on activity at incidents is • Launch new information security online awareness shared between Control and incident commanders. package. [COMPLETED] • NEW Collate/present information about London, its • NEW Provide equipment to support staff flexible composition, and the Brigade’s response to risk to working (tablets, screens, docking hubs, etc.). inform the Assessment of Risk for the updated Community Risk Management Plan (by 2022). • NEW Command Unit system replacement

LFB in a digital world – Information and technology strategy, 2019 – 2022